Be Strong. Be Fit.

Chest Workout (6) – Push-Up

Push-ups are a superb upper body exercise that use your body’s own weight to build a sound fitness foundation. Push ups promote strength and balance by developing several key muscles, including the chest, triceps as well as the shoulders. It is a compound exercise and can be difficult than seen, especially for ladies.

Here are the step guide to do push-ups:

Steps:

Kneel down on the floor and place your hands flat on the floor and slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

With your shoulders directly over your hands, straighten your arms.

Move your feet back, placing your toes on the floor, so that your knees are off the floor and your legs are straight.

At this point, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.

Your body should remain straight throughout this exercise. Keep your head and neck in line with your body so that you are looking down toward the floor. (The above pictures show the fellows looking up because he wants to look at the camera. Should look down. Less strain on your neck.) This is the starting position.

In a controlled fashion, lower your body down toward the floor, bending your elbows, until your body is nearly touching the floor.

Now, push your body up away from the floor, straightening your arms, until you have returned to the starting position.

If you need to reduce the intensity of this exercise you can perform the push-up from your knees.

Tip:

Common mistake is allowing the back to arch and sag, putting pressure on the lower back. Try shifting the burden to your core by flattening your back and contracting your midsection.

Normally, if I were at home and not going to gym for some days, I will do push-up, especially during the commercial break of a TV show. I just keep going until failure and the feeling is great.

If you find the conventional push up hurting your wrist, you may want to try a equipment called Perfect Push-Up. It allows your arms to rotate naturally when you do push-ups. Most of the users said that it gives them a proper wrist angle – means that you can do push ups until muscle fatigue stops you without sore wrists.

I agree with Jeremy the ush up should be your core workout and build around it with weights. I also do he clapping pushup and as Jeremy said its excellent and really gets the heart gonig trust me its a challenge, I read previously that its classed as Plyometric training not too sure though I will have to confim my source as soon as I can find it. Plyometrics training builds strength and speed.